


The Outsiders

by loogandthemaidenofwind



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gen, Genocide, Killing, Mentions of blood and gore, Racism, Sad boi hours, idk what else to say, no beta we die like Glenn, the rest of the eagles are here but barely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24748330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loogandthemaidenofwind/pseuds/loogandthemaidenofwind
Summary: just a sad little tale about Petra, Dedue, and the friendships that could be made. <3
Kudos: 13





	The Outsiders

Petra smiled as the sea spray hit her face. She stared out at the vast ocean, clear blue and glimmering. Fish splashed around in the waves, that crashed over and over on the sandy shore. 

At her back were the forests, filled with life. Plants grew and shaped the earth. Animals scuttled around in their shade. Little streams wove through the forest, providing the lifeblood for it all. 

At Petra’s right was her father, beaming down at her with pride. On her left was her mother, a kindly smile on her face. Petra took their hands. 

“Our little Petra,” her father said, in the language of Brigid. “You are our gem. You will save us all.” 

Her mother squeezed her hand. “Our treasure. Our jewel. You will save us all.” 

The landscape began changing. Gray storm clouds gathered above. The ocean faded to gray and began relentlessly beating at the shore. The ground turned cracked and dry. The water in the streams drained into the ground, and the beautiful forests began to wilt. 

Petra watched in horror as armed soldiers began swarming onto the land, their faces blank and devoid of emotion. They began their raid, killing everything they saw. She looked for her mother and father, but they had disappeared. 

Screams filled the air, mixing with the sound of the ocean. The water turned red with blood. The clouds were pouring rain, and thunder boomed in the distance. 

Petra fell to her knees, pressing her hands to her head as her parents’ words echoed from above. _“You will save us all. You will save us all. You will save us all.” ___

__—-_ _

__Petra gasped as she woke up, clawing at her blankets. She looked around wildly, remembering where she was and what she was doing. “Another nightmare…” she muttered._ _

__She pushed back her covers and stretched. Sleeping was no good. That same nightmare kept cropping up, everytime. And there was nothing she could do._ _

___“You will save us all.”_ __

__

__Petra had never felt so powerless. She had a duty to her people, to protect them and lead them. But how could she do that from here? How could she save them from such a long distance?_ _

__

__“For now, you must excel and behave,” she told herself. “Then… then you can help your people.”_ _

__

__She silently got out of bed and padded across the room. It wasn’t that late anyway, and a walk might clear her head. Even so, as she walked, the tortured landscape of Brigid seemed to dance across her mind._ _

__

__“Stop it,” she mumbled. “Dreams are just fantasies. They mean nothing.”_ _

__

__The grounds were peaceful at night. The dogs lay asleep, while the cats prowled around for food. Petra always tried to give them something if she could. The only light came from the moon and stars, and the only noise was her heart._ _

__

__Here, she felt safer from the prying eye than usual. However, there was always that terrible feeling that she was being watched…_ _

__

__Her eyes swept over the dorms. Normally, they were all dark at this time of night, but a light shone in Dorothea’s room. Was she still awake? Did the songstress maybe want company? A friend?_ _

__

__Petra’s feet were taking her there before her brain could even object. She tentatively placed a hand on the door, and then pushed it open with a great creaking noise._ _

__

__“Oh, hey Petra!” Dorothea smiled. Her eyes danced with joy and mirth. Their whole class was sitting around a table that had little figures scattered on it._ _

__

__“Hello,” Petra smiled back. “What is it that you are doing?”_ _

__

__“Playing this game!” Caspar cheered. Linhardt was napping on his shoulder, but he didn’t seem to care. “Hey, you wanna play too?”_ _

__

__The rest of the class looked at her hopefully, silently encouraging her to join in. Their faces were so excited…_ _

__

__Petra looked down at the figurines. She couldn’t make sense of anything in the game. And she wouldn’t want to hold them up…_ _

__

__“No, it is being… I mean, it is okay. I do not have knowledge in this game and I do not wish to hold you back.”_ _

__

__The light in Dorothea’s eyes seemed to dim just a little. “Oh, are you sure? We can still teach you.”_ _

__

__All her classmates were looking at her so intently. The fire crackled in the hearth invitingly, and Edelgard patted the seat next to her. It looked so warm and perfect, Petra wished she could just stay._ _

__

__But no. She couldn’t hold them back. That would be selfish._ _

__

__“No,” Petra waved her off. “It will be taking too long. I hope you have- I mean, I hope you enjoy your game.”_ _

__

__She closed the door on the happy scene and stepped out into the night air. She shivered. It was so much colder here. Not like in Brigid…_ _

__

__Petra sighed and let her hands drop to her sides. In this land, she felt so compressed, not wild and free like back home. The air was colder. The words were harsher. The games were unfamiliar and scary._ _

__

__All she wanted was to fit in again._ _

__

__The real truth was, she didn’t leave the game to be selfless. She left because it was unfamiliar to her, and that fact scared and repelled her. Even though her classmates certainly would have taught her, the fact was that the game wasn’t hers. It wasn’t something that she could connect with._ _

__

__And that drove her away._ _

__

__Her footsteps were silent and stealthy as she walked the monastery halls. Anytime when she was here, she felt like she had to hide, to flee the sharp gazes and whispered remarks._ _

__

__Her walk took her to the fishing pond. She knelt on the dock and set her hand on the water._ _

__

__“I miss you…” she whispered. “I wish to come back to you more than anything else.”_ _

__

__And it was true. It was what lingered in her mind through the day and haunted her at night- the intense longing for the lush fields, the green forests, the shimmering oceans of Brigid. Her mother’s smile and her father’s laugh. Her grandmother’s cooking and her grandfather’s stories._ _

__

__They had fields and oceans and forests here too. They had smiles and laughs and cooking and stories. But it would never be the same. Not for Petra._ _

__

___“You will save us all.” ____ _

__

_____She knew what these people thought of her._ _ _ __

__

____In front of her, they praised her skills, her agility and speed, her lithe and terrifying form. They admired her ability to hunt. They complimented her style._ _ _ _

__

____But she knew what they whispered behind closed doors. She was the foreigner, the outsider, unwelcome at this place. She saw all the glares and heard all the whispered comments. Even her classmates couldn’t be trusted. Harmless little things, like that game, seemed to get her down._ _ _ _

__

____“I wish someone could understand me,” Petra whispered to the pond. “I wonder if you can hear me?”_ _ _ _

__

____Silence._ _ _ _

__

____A tear fell down Petra’s cheek and splashed into the pond._ _ _ _

__

____“You shouldn’t be out here in the cold.”_ _ _ _

__

____Petra almost fell into the pond._ _ _ _

__

____She whirled around and instantly relaxed as she saw who it was. “Oh. Hello, Dedue.”_ _ _ _

__

____Dedue nodded in greeting. He cut an imposing figure across the dark. “Come in from the cold. You will get sick. I have prepared you some food.”_ _ _ _

__

____Stunned at the act of kindness, Petra followed Dedue into the dining hall. Sure enough, a steaming plate of food was set on a table, along with a glass of water._ _ _ _

__

____Petra got a closer look at the food and felt a grin split across her face. “Dedue… is this food of Brigid?”_ _ _ _

__

____“Not exactly.” Dedue sat across from her plate. “I had to substitute a few ingredients. But I hope it will suffice.”_ _ _ _

__

____“I have much gratitude for you.” Petra tried a bite. It wasn’t exactly the same, but the taste still filled her with nostalgia. “This is bringing me great joy!”_ _ _ _

__

____Dedue’s mouth quirked a little. She thought he was trying to smile. His eyes weren’t dancing with mischief like Dorothea’s, but seemed to contain pure joy._ _ _ _

__

____“I’m glad. The food of my homeland always made me a little happier.”_ _ _ _

__

____Petra swallowed and wiped her mouth. “You are hailing from Duscur, yes?”_ _ _ _

__

____A shadow passed over Dedue’s face. The joy in his eyes seemed to fade a little. “Yes. Before it was burned.”_ _ _ _

__

____“I am sorry.” A small moment of silence passed between them. “I lost my mother and father to these people.”_ _ _ _

__

____“I am sorry to hear that.”_ _ _ _

__

____Petra chewed another bite. “Dedue, are you ever feeling out of place here?”_ _ _ _

__

____She was almost scared to ask. But she trusted Dedue. He was like her- someone thrust into a strange land, trying to get by._ _ _ _

__

____“I have a duty to His Highness, so I try and push all other feelings aside. But sometimes? Yes.”_ _ _ _

__

____Petra tried to hide her relief. Finally, someone like her, someone who understood the type of pain she felt. A kindred spirit. “I am feeling the same!”_ _ _ _

__

____“Yes…” Dedue looked away, eyes fixed on the doorway. “The lands are different here. The air is different. And the people… they are different too.”_ _ _ _

__

____“Have the people ever been speaking the bad remarks at you?” she asked._ _ _ _

__

____“When I first arrived in Fhirdiad, I was scared, hiding behind His Highness. The people laughed and spat at me. They treated me like I was an animal or slave boy.” Dedue paused somberly. “Only His Highness trusted me. He brought me to where I am now. So I can deal with the remarks and insults, for him.”_ _ _ _

__

____“Prince Dimitri is a good man.” Petra began scraping the last of the food off her plate._ _ _ _

__

____Dedue studied her. “You remind me a lot of His Highness.”_ _ _ _

__

____“How am I doing that?”_ _ _ _

__

____“You are both strong-willed and stubborn. You both are talented fighters. You both are noble and true, and would rescue someone you just met. You both want the best for your countries.”_ _ _ _

__

____Petra looked at her hands. She still felt miserable. How could Dedue be so kind to compare her to the prince?_ _ _ _

__

____“I still do not see how I compare. He is strong in speech, I am not. He can get along with his allies, while I barely am managing. He is from this land… and I am not.” Another tear splashed onto the silverware._ _ _ _

__

____“Maybe that’s true. But what I noticed is also true. You cannot just focus on the negatives.” He handed her a napkin._ _ _ _

__

____Petra wiped furiously at her eyes. She allowed herself five seconds to breathe. “Thank you, Dedue. For the food and for your words. I will be doing the- I mean, I will consider this wisdom.”_ _ _ _

__

____The ghost of a smile flickered across Dedue’s face. “I am glad. And you know you have friends here too. You are not alone.”_ _ _ _

__

____“I am knowing that now,” Petra matched Dedue’s smile._ _ _ _

__

____“Good. We both should sleep now.” Dedue got up and walked towards the doorway, his footsteps much louder than Petra’s hunting stance. “Good night.”_ _ _ _

__

____“Good night.” Petra waited for his footsteps to recede, than stood and started walking back to her room. She felt different, somehow. The air seemed sweeter, and the wind felt good, like it was setting her free rather than trapping her. The painful longing for Brigid still burned within her, but something else was there too- hope._ _ _ _

__

____For the first time in a long time, someone had given her hope._ _ _ _

__

____She looked out at the pale moon and wondered if her people were looking at the same one. “I will come back to you,” she called in her mother tongue, the language of Brigid. “That is a promise.”_ _ _ _

__

____The wind howled in response, as if pleased._ _ _ _

__

____Petra glanced back at the room with her classmates. Light seeped from the cracks in the door, and laughter floated her way._ _ _ _

__

____She felt ashamed. Her classmates were good people. They wanted to become friends, to teach her their games. And she had rejected them, despite how kind they always were. They weren’t like the bad people. They were different. What would they think of her?_ _ _ _

__

____The door creaked as she pushed it open. Inside, her classmates glanced up at her, figurines scattered all over their table. “Heya, Petra!” Caspar called. “What’s up?”_ _ _ _

__

____“I…” Petra breathed in. “I would like to be learning your game. Would you teach me?”_ _ _ _

__

____Dorothea began to smile again- a brilliant, radiant smile, as if she were emitting light. “Yeah! Yeah, of course!”_ _ _ _

__

____Edelgard patted the seat next to her with a grin. “Here, sit down. We’ll show you the basics.”_ _ _ _

__

____Beaming, Petra sat down. For the first time since coming to Fódlan, she felt accepted and protected and loved. She felt warm and safe. She felt… home._ _ _ _

__

____And for once, she didn’t feel like the outsider._ _ _ _

__


End file.
